Living in this Hell - The SAO Arc
by Shadow50056
Summary: When Akihiko Kayaba declares that he has trapped 10,000 people in his floating fortress, Kirito, Dusk, and Shadow-all former beta testers-end up stuck in a battle for there lives. With the threat of death lurking around every corner, will the come out alive?
1. Prologue

"Fuck, fuck, fuck HURRY!"

River Winters rushed home in a panic.

Why was she rushing home at 7:50AM?

Well, the previous night, she had walked out after an intense argument with her dad, who was wrongfully criticizing her of having no friends and no social life, something him and her mother would know if they ever paid attention to her. She literally had some friends over two days ago. But no. For the entire eighteen years that has been her life, her parents never were home. They were always working or vacationing somewhere. India. China. America. England. They would travel the world, and, up until she was fourteen, would just dump her off with a nanny. After she turned fourteen they just left her alone.

As a reward for graduating, her aunt (who seemed to care about her more then her parents) had given her a NerveGear system, and the knowledge that she was registered as a beta tester for the game SAO.

During the two months as a beta tester, she played under her screen name, Dusk, and played solo. Along the way, she met two other players, Shadow and Kirito, who also played solo. Shadow was a tall man with short wavy dark brown hair, a full faced stubble, and deepset amber eyes. Kirito had neck long black hair, a tannish complexion, a decent build, and black eyes.

Kirito's avatar seemed like one made out of wishful thinking.

River arrived at her house and rocketed inside, locking the doors behind her. Her parents weren't home, so she charged into her room, setting up her Nervegear. She sat down, and saw the time. 7:57

"This is taking forever!" Harley Yami complained, flopping into his bed.

He was waiting waiting for SAO to be released, and, while he had only been up for about twenty minutes, it felt like it had been hours to him.

As a former Beta tester to SAO, the months since the end of the beta and leading up to the release had been driving him crazy. He logged in as many hours as he could over the course of the beta, finally being able to escape his abusive home, and to live his dream of being a powerful sword wielder.

Harley had very abusive parents, his mother being a drunk who actively blamed him and his younger sister Shiro for her problems. His father was a creep, constantly saying perverted things to his sister. Shiro, of course, was terrified of him, and Harley would become outraged whenever he heard these things being said, which lead to many ugly confrontations with his father, leading to the many bruises and cut he had.

Of course, this lead to him having a deep mistrust of others and social awkwardness that carried over with him into the Virtual world, leading him to play as a solo player. Strangely, though, he still made friends. Two people under the screen names of Kirito and Dusk, Kirito's avatar seemingly being made out of wish fulfillment, as he had neck-length black hair, a handsome, sturdy look to him, and the darkest eyes he had ever seen.

Dusk's avatar at least looked like it could be her. A small female with curly magenta hair, she had a slim build, a pale complexion, and the most startling red eyes. Like, if you met her in a dark alley, you might think she was a very tall cat.

They had managed to get past his mistrusting nature, and see him for what he was: A kind, yet abused person.

Harley sighed again, and looked at the time. It was 7:59. With a grin, he settled down, and pulled on his NerveGear, wincing as he accidentally struck one of his many bruises. .

As the time switched, he shouted, "LINK START!"  
About two miles away, in her own house, her own bed, River smiled as she same the time on her NerveGear's HUD change to 8:00.

"LINK START!" She exclaimed.

Little did these two friend know exactly how much their lives were going to change, nor did they know how much they will grow to depend on each other.

They will find out soon enough.

Six blocks away from Harley, Kazuto Kirigaya pulled on his own NerveGear, settled into his own bed, and shouted "Link Start!"

His life was going to change, too.

RIVER WINTERS

LANGUAGE:

JAPANESE

LOGIN?

BETA AVATAR TRANSFERRED SUCCESSFULLY

LOGGED IN AS:  
DUSK

HARLEY YAMI

LANGUAGE:

JAPANESE

LOGIN?

BETA AVATAR TRANSFERRED SUCCESSFULLY

LOGGED IN AS:  
SHADOW

KAZUTO KIRIGAYA

LANGUAGE:

JAPANESE

LOGIN?

BETA AVATAR TRANSFERRED SUCCESSFULLY

LOGGED IN AS:  
KIRITO


	2. Chapter 1 - The Beginning

Dusk slowly opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. She gazed around as her excitement grew as she saw more and more people appear in the Town of Beginnings. To Dusk, this world this is so much better than being in the real world. At least here she didn't have to see her parents.

" _I would like to find Shadow and Kirito."_ Dusk thought to herself as she took in the scenery.

Walking around to look both Shadow and Kirito, Dusk was amazed at the sight of all the new players. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks she caught sight of the two friends that she made during the beta. She walked towards them. "Hey!"

"Hi Dusk." both Kirito and Shadow said

"Who's this here?" Dusk asked, seeing a red head man.

"This is Klein." Kirito said 'Klein this is Dusk. Dusk this is Klien."

"Nice to meet you Dusk." Klein said as he extended his arm.

"Same here Klein." Dusk said as she shaked his hand.

"We were just about to show Kelin here about sword mind coming with us Dusk" Shadow said

"I'm guessing you are a first time player Kelin?" asked Dusk as the four of them started to walk.

"Yes I am." Klein said

"Ok. We will teach you everything and then I leave you guys be guys." Dusk said walking ahead of the three boys.

They all ended up at a field outside of the town. Of course Dusk being Dusk, she wasn't paying attention to what was happening at all. Spacing off was something that she did all of the time. Staring off into the sky made look back at life. Until someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned her head and saw it was Shadow.

"You ok there Dusk?" Shadow asked

"Yea I'm ok. I've been just thinking a lot. Thanks for asking." Dusk said giving him a smile. "I'm going to farm for a bit. Meet you guys in a few."

"Ok just be careful." Kilen yelled out

"I'll be perfectly fine Kilen. Don't worry." Dusk said, walking away from the boys.

"What's with her?" Klein asked.

"She's always distracted. " Kirito explained. "She was this way during the Beta, too."

Shadow nodded absently, gazing into the direction that Dusk had walked off.

" _I wonder what's bothering her now."_ He thought, knowing that Dusk didn't have the best home life, having very briefly discussed both of their parents. Shadow just hoped she didn't have the same problem as him.

He growled at the thought of his father. " _I will play for a few hours, and then I will log out to check on Shiro. She should be getting home around 5:30."_

"Shadow!" Klein shouted, jerking him out of my thoughts.

"What!" Shadow shouted back.

"Now you are doing it." Kirito smiled faintly. "You are vanishing into your thoughts. That's normal for her, but not for you. Are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm… fine. Just thinking." Shadow paused. "Kirito, I'll meet up with you around 5, alright? I'm going to go and see if someone else needs help. Klein doesn't need two betas to show him how to play.

"Alright." Kirito agreed, walking away with Klein.

Shadow wandered through the Town of Beginnings, answering basic questions on how the game worked and how to use the attack skills. Eventually, after sending a message to Dusk, telling her to meet up with us by Kirito at 5, he happened upon a small group - about four people, three girls and one guy. They seemed to be attempting to hunt boars, but were failing consistently. Shadow watched in amusement as one girl was knocked down, her health beginning to drop into the red zone. Looking around, he picked up a pebble, activating my sword skill Neutron and chucked it at the pig at high speeds, striking it right between the eyes, stunning it. This allowed the guy to activate the skill Rage Spike, killing the boar.

They looked around, probably wondering where the pebble came from. Shadow stepped out of the shadows, grinning.

"Wow." One of them remarked. "We couldn't hit it with a sword, and yet you managed to hit it. With a pebble."

Shadow laughed. "Because I was aiming." he told them. "I see you guys attempting to use sword skills, but you are swinging wildly. You need to aim your strikes. If you are able to properly focus on your target, the game's system mechanics usually do the rest of the work for you."

"Well, that's good to know." One said. A female with long, orange-brownish chestnut hair and hazel eyes, she wore a dark red leather tunic with a lightweight copper breastplate and leather pants with boots up to the knees. She also wore a cape with a hood attached, but she kept the hood down. "My name is Asuna."

Another stepped forward, a tallish female with brown hair, pale complexion, lean build, and cloudy blue-gray eyes. She had practically the same tunic as Asuna, except she swapped out the dark red for a dark blue. "Mine's Faith."

The last female waved from where she was standing. Another small player with long, blond, waist length hair, dark brown eyes, a strangely muscular build, she was also the only member of the group wielding a mace, her tunic swapping the dark red for green. "Im Chisai." she called out.

The male approached me, reaching out with his hand. He was about my height, with a buzzcut short enough that it was almost bald, a bushy stubble, brown eyes, and had a Hispanic look about him. He wore a long blue shirt with a copper chestplate, and a pair of black pants. In other words, the exact same thing as me, Kirito, and most of the male starting players I have seen thus far. "And I am Ren. My friend Mason should be here in a bit. His avatar was killed by the boar."  
Shadow nodded, and grasped Ren's hand, shaking it. "I'm Shadow." he said. "Are you all friends in real life?"

Ren shook his head. "Only me and Mason. I just met the rest of these guys today."

Shadow nodded. "Cool." he looked at the time. It read '12:00' Five hours before he was going to meet up with Klein and Kirito. "Mind if I join you?" Shadow asked.

Faith shrugged. "Sure, why not? The more, the merrier, right?"

He laughed. "Yea. Something like that."

Shadow got to know them a bit better for the next few hours. Asuna seemed to be a shy, delicate, and kind girl at first glance, but she was actually quite proud and dominate. She was still kind, but, she had a tendency to get physical when challenged, something he saw happen to Ren multiple times.

Faith was quite aggressive when in combat, but otherwise, she was a kind, easy going person.

Chisai was loud and dominating, constantly making sure others knew what was hers. She is combative, too, always making jokes on how she could kick everyone's ass.

And Ren? Ren was a bit like Chisai, loud and aggressive, but he was also polite at times too, and Shadow even saw him share one of his few potions with Asuna when she needed it, so Shadow believe he is a kind person, too. He kept wondering why his friend Mason hadn't logged back in, and kept complaining.

Eventually, after wandering around and hunting for a bit, Shadow noticed it was 4:30.

"Alright, I have to go now." he said. "I have to meet up with some people. It was nice meeting you guys!" They all waved, and Shadow walked away, opening my map and heading for the dot that was labeled 'Kirito.'

Then he realized that the dot Faith was rushing in his direction.

He turned, and saw her running towards him. "Hey." she called out, stopping beside Shadow. "Mind if I tag along?"

SHadow shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"So, Shadow." She asked. "You are a beta tester, right?"

"Yea."

"Ha! Ren owes me five hundred Col. He bet that you weren't a Beta tester." She explained.

Shadow shook my head in disbelief. "Why would he bet on something so obvious?"

She laughed. "I saw that he couldn't resist a challenge, so I bet five hundred Col that you were a Beta tester, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist."

"You are a minx." He decided, laughing too.

It took us almost an hour to reach Kirito, and by that time Dusk was already with them.

"Hey guys,"

"Hey." Dusk said. "Who's this?"

"This is Faith. Faith, this is Dusk." They greeted each other, and then Shadow noticed that Kirito and Klein were doing something in their menus.

"What's going on?" He queried.

"The logout button is missing." she told me. Surprised, Shadow began to open my menu, when, out of nowhere, a bright light appeared around all of us, teleporting us.

Teleporting us back to the Town of Beginnings.

Shadow looked around as everyone - everyone in the entire GAME - was brought back.

"Oh." He said. "I have a bad feeling about this."


	3. Chapter 2 - Of the End

Dusk was terrified, but putting on a brave face. Everything was going to absolute shit. Looking around, she could see people talking to each other on what's the hell is happening as more and more players were appearing in the Town of Beginnings. Even looking at Kirito, Klein, Shadow, and Faith they were confused as well.

"Look up there!" a female voice shouted

We all looked up to see a "Warning" flashing in the middle of the sky, which made Dusk feel the sky was completely covered in all with the "Warning."

"Do you know what's going on?" A girl asked holding a guy's arm that was near us.

"Uh-uh." The guy said looking at her.

" Someone forced a teleport." Kirito said looking around at the other players.

"The game is broken on the day of release. Strange I though they have enough time to fix the game since the beta was out." Dusk said

"Yea I would have the same though as you, Dusk" Shadow said as he continued to gaze at the sky filled with the "Warnings."

"What's going on here?" a guy asked looking around

"Look, up there!" another guy yelled pointing up in the sky.

"Now what?" Kirito asked

A figure who appeared floating in the sky. He was covered in a red cloak. His face wasn't showing and was shrouded in darkness. Dusk felt like her mind was in a complete cluster fuck with all of the thoughts she had on what's the hell was happening.

"What the hell is that thing?"asked Kilen

" _Is that the Game Master?"_ Kirito thought to himself.

"Is that a game master?" a guy shouted, echoing Kirito's thoughts.

"Why doesn't he have a face? Is this an event?" another said

"I'm scared." a girl said with a shaky voice

"Don't worry. It's just part of the opening ceremony" a guy said in a calm manner.

"This doesn't feel like the opening ceremony." Dusk said.

"No, it doesn't" Shadow agreed.

"Attention, players. I welcome you to my world." Kayba said calmly

"What does he mean by that?" Kirito asked

"Give us some goddamn answers Mr. Gamemaster." Dusk yelled over the clamor.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world." He said introducing himself.

"Seriously?"a girl said in shock

"Wow, that's some entrance." a guy said with amazement.

"I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus - the logout button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how "Sword Art Online" was designed to be." Kayaba explained

"He's kidding, right?" Klein asked in disbelief.

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the "NerveGear" from your anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life." Kayaba explained the situation even more.

"What are you talking about?" a girl said

"Oh, come on! That's such BS!This game sucks!" another guy shouted angrily.

"Let's get out of , I can't get out!" a guy had yelled when he hit an invisible wall.

"Are you guys listening to this crap? He's gotta be nuts, right? Right, Kirito? Shadow? Dusk?" Klein said.

"He's not. The transmitter's signals in the headgear work just like microwaves. If the safety's disabled, it could fry your brain". Kirito explained to Klein.

"Couldn't someone cut the power or...?" Klein began to ask before Dusk cut him off.

"That would be a negative my good sir." she said

"That wouldn't work. The NerveGear's got an internal battery." Kirito agreed

'This is crazy! It's totally crazy!" Klein yelled

Shadow stood there quiet as everyone, Kirito and Dusk included, began to shout. He was in shock.

"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it 've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world." Kayaba said

"Two hundred thirteen?" Kirito said

"So Mason is dead!?" Faith cried aloud, sadness and shock etched in her voice.

"Probably." Dusk said with sadness although not knowing him.

"No way... I don't believe it!" Klein said in disbelief once again.

"As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best.I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the 's important to remember the following:There is no longer any way to revive someone within the your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system... forever.

And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your is only one way for a player to escape now - you must clear the now, you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game." Kayaba said

"Clear?" a guy asked

"What's he talking about?" a girl asked

"Let's get out of here. Hey, I can't get out!"

"Why should we believe any of the crap you're saying?"

"We can't clear all 100 floors...That's freaking impossible... even the beta testers never made it that high!" Klein said

"That's fucking bullshit!" Dusk shouted.

"Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every have a look." Kayaba said as his voice was still calm.

"Why do we need this mirror?" Kirito asked, before he was surrounded by a bright white light.

"You okay, Kirito?" Klein asked

" ... Who are you?" Kirito asked

"I'm me. Who are you?" Klein asked

"Where am I? Who are you people? And what the hell is going on." Dusk asked, looking at the group.

"Son of a... You're a guy?!" a guy yelled to the person that was next to him

"You're not seventeen?" a guy said that used to be a girl

"Wait a second." Kirito stated

"Is that you, Kirito?"Klein asked

"Is that you, Klein?" asked Kirito

"But, how?"Klien asked with concern.

"The 's a high-density signal device inside the NerveGear can see what my face looks like, but how's it know my height and body type?" Kirito asked

"When you first put the NerveGear on, it had to do this... calibration asked you to touch your body all over like this, remember?"Klein asked

"Oh, yeah, you're 's where it got our physical data!" Kirito said

"But, this is...What's the point?! Why would anyone do this to us?!" Klein said as he started to panick

"I think he's about to tell us." Dusk responded, pointing to Kayaba.

"Right now, you are probably wondering would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this?Ultimately, my goal was a simple reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design." Kayaba said

"As you can see, I have achieved my marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art , I wish you the best of luck." Kayaba said before vanishing.

Then Dusk felt tears streaming down her face. Klein, Faith, and Kirito looked at her and saw that she was smiling as she cried. What a cruel fucking world this is.

Shadow couldn't hear anything clearly. The world was fading into a dull roar.

Faith was panicking.

Dusk was crying and smiling.

Klein was shouting into the sky.

Kirito was saying something.

Shadow was afraid. Afraid, not for himself, but for his sister.

As Kayaba showed them images of the dead, his only thoughts were of her. If he couldn't return home, what would become of her?

" _No… Shiro…"_ Shadow thought. " _I failed you."_

"Come on!" Kirito's shout broke through Shadow's thoughts, and all of the noise rushed back at him. Shadow could hear the screams and yells of the people around us.

Dusk seized his arm and dragged him along with them.

"Alright guys. I'm heading to the next village immediately." said Kirito. "And I want you guys to come."

Klein shook his head. "Thanks, but remember those friends I was telling you about?" He said, "We stood in line for a whole night to buy this, and… they're back at the plaza somewhere, and I can't leave them."

He must've noticed the grimace on Kirito's face, because he laughed and wearily said, "Sorry. Can't ask a guy I just met to risk his life for a bunch of strangers, can I? So don't worry about me."

"Klein…" Dusk started to say, but he waved her off.

"Get your asses to the next village." He insisted. "I'll be fine! Last game I played, I ran a guild, so I'm more than prepared. And with the stuff you taught me, I'll get by, no sweat!"

"Okay…" Kirito said reluctantly. "If that's what you want, I'll get going."

"Klein" Shadow spoke for the first time. "If you get in a jam, message one of us, okay?"

"Sure."

"Be seeing you, Klein." Faith said.

Klein smiled at us, and then walked off.

Dusk sighed. "Maybe its best if we all split."

"Why?" Faith asked her.

"This way we can all get the best loot. We won't have to worry about each other."

"She's right." Kirito said. "It may be for best that we separate."

Shadow stood silent, and the others took that to mean that he agreed with them. "I swear on my life, I will see you guys again." Dusk vowed, her red eyes flashing with determination. "I will wait for you guys, not in the next town, but the one after that. Then we can find and storm the boss dungeon."

"Agreed." Kirito said. "I refuse to be killed by this game. I will survive! I will see you guys again." And with that, him and Dusk walked off, heading in different directions.

"Shadow?" Faith said. "What are you going to do?"

Shadow looked down at her. "I have to go. You are welcome to come along."  
Faith hesitated. "I want Asuna to come too. She is on her way to us right now."

Shadow looked over Faith's shoulder, and saw Asuna running over.

When she got to them, they could see tears streaming down her face.

Shadow put his arm around Asuna. "It's alright. I will be here for you."

"Thanks…" She sniffed.

"Let's go guys!" Shadow yelled.

" _Shiro. I will break out of this game."_ Shadow thought as they ran. He spotted a small group of Dire Wolves. " _Nothing will ever hold me back from protecting you."_ He sprinted over to them " _And if that evil man has harmed you, he will PAY!"_ With a roar, Shadow leaped into the air, activating the Sword Skill Sonic Leap, flipping and cutting through two wolves. Shadow spun on heel, saw Asuna and Faith charging over, and, with a grin, he swung his sword down to his ankle, preparing another attack.

" _AGRRHHHH!"_ Shadow yelled, and charged at the wolves.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Kobol Lord

So it has been a month since everyone was trapped in the game. It's also been awhile since Dusk had seen Kirito and the took me a whole month to get to the next town. Since, then people have been dying left and right. It's been… terrible.

Dusk, however, has mixed feeling about being stuck in this game. On one hand, she was glad that since she is stuck, she didn't have to deal with my parents. On the other hand, It sucked that she had to fight for her life every moment of the day.

Dusk sighed heavily on the though on what is happening. " _At least I'm a higher level to survive then some players here."_ She thought. " _I wonder if the others are here as well as walked into the town."_ So she decided to walk around the town and get some things like potions and other things. As well as getting herself something to eat. As she was walking gazed at her items, something that she hasn't done since she left the Town of Beginnings, and she has gotten some pretty decent items.

As she was walked, she began to eavesdrop on some conversations. One conversation in particular, actually. "You guys heard about the one group that found the boss room already." she heard some guy say.

"Really. I don't believe it. We definitely get out of the game faster." another said

When she heard that, she just paid it no mind. Then she saw people sitting in a coliseum.

" _Wonder what's up?"_ Dusk thought. She decided to see exactly what was up. She stood behind a pillar to hear what's happening, and, when she peeked out, she saw both Kirito and Shadow.

"Okay, people! Now that everyone's here, let's get this meeting anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming. Good to see name is Diabel, and in this game, the job I rolled is knight! A group had already found the boss room." Diabel said

" _So it is true."_ Dusk thought to herself as she munched on sandwich

"Dude, there's no job system in this game!" A guy yelled in the crowd.

"You guys want to hear this or not? Right, anyway here's the deal. Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today. First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to Floor next step is we have to tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game! Fact is, it's our duty as the most capable players here! Do you agree or not?! Okay, glad to hear you're all with me on this, now let's figure out how we're going to beat the boss. First off, we'll team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn't stand a chance against a floor need a raid group made up of multiple parties." Diabel said

Players walking around forming into parties. While players were forming parties, Dusk was able to see Kilen as well. Of course Shadow and Kirito are going to be a party, but she was surprised to see a girl in a red cloak and Faith follow them. Suddenly, Dusk has a funny idea. She decided to send a message to Kirito. When they received the message, he began to look around for Dusk like a madman. Then she sent another message to him, telling him to have them meet her at the pub to talk after the meeting. Then Dusk walked away, heading to the town pub. Hours passed as she sat and waited for them. Just as she was getting tired of waiting, she heard a voice call out.

"Long time no see." said Kirito, walking up. Standing next to him was Shadow, Faith, and the girl wearing red cloak.

"When did you get into town Dusk?" Shadow asked her as he sat across from Dusk with Faith and red-cloak girl, and Kirito sat Dusk.

"Yea it's been only a month since I saw you guys and I got into town around noon. So how's things going. I heard that a group found a boss room. I heard about when I got things. Do you guys know what group found it?" Dusk asked.

"I know who found it." red-cloak said said

Dusk looked at her. "What's your name."

"Asuna, and it was Ren's group." Asuna replied

"Dusk?" Kirito asked.

"Yea what's your question there bud." Dusk asked, sitting back in my seat.

"How did you know where we were? Also where were you?" asked Kirito asked.

"I was behind a pillar when I messaged you. It was freaking hilarious." She laughed remembered what happened earlier.

"No it wasn't funny Dusk!" Kirito yelled

Dusk started to laugh like mad. Honestly this is the first time she had laugh this hard in a very long time.

Shadow shook his head. "So when we beat this game I'm going to stay away for a while. Or I may be dead before I beat this I'm going to be alive I'm going to find another game to play. Or I'm going to see a therapist." Shadow said, leaning back in his seat.

"You are not going to die, Shadow. You are a good player." Dusk said

"Well you never know what's going to happen." Shadow replied.

"You'll never know when you're going to die. You may be alive one minute and then the next minute you're dead." Asuna agreed.

They all talked for another few hours, and all separated to get some rest. In that time, Dusk joined the party for the raid the next morning.

The next morning, as everyone prepared for the walk to the boss room, Dusk sat there quiet, not speaking to anyone.

The walk to the boss dungeon was a lengthy one. One of the bad parts of this game.

When we finally arrived, everyone stood around Divael in a semicircle.

He began to speak, but Shadow couldn't hear anything but the blood rushing in his ears.

Asuna nervously looked at him.

"Are you okay?" she whispered to Shadow.

He swallowed hard, and nodded. "I'll be fine. We just need to stick to the plan."

Asuna nodded. "Yea, we will be fine."

The doors opened, and we could see Illfang sitting in his throne. He rose to feet, and charged at us, spawning his Kobol minions to attack us.

"Charge!" Divael cried out, and they all charged forward with a great roar.

Shadow ran alongside Kibaou, and when he entered a bladelock with the minion, Shadow flipped over his head, activating Sonic Leap slaying the Kobol.

Shadow then retreated back to my party, and began to fight alongside Kirito and Dusk. Dusk had her sword drawn, with an angry snarl twisting her features. She then activated Rage Spike and drove her sword through three of the Kobols surrounding us.

When we cleared the Kobols, they all heard Illfang roar, and dropped his axe and shield. He then drew a-

Nodachi!?

"That's not a Talwar!" Faith shouted.

They watched in horror as Diavel ran at Illifang by himself, activating a skill they didn't recognize, and the look of horror on his face as he realized that Illfang wasn't holding the expected weapon, and he leaped into the air, using a completely different combo then he did in the beta.

Unsurprisingly, Divael was torn to shreds, but Shadow and Dusk could only feel a little remore. He was a beta tester, after all. They knew that, because they recognized him from the beta, and the selfish man was trying to get the Last Attack bonus.

Kirito ran over to Divael, and everyone seemed to freeze in place.

Shadow shook his head. "Come on!" He shouted, and charged forward, Dusk beside him. Behind them, they could hear the rest of the people coming out of their stupors, and run after Shadow and Dusk, yelling.

Dusk and Shadow attacked Illfang, as he swiped people aside left and right. After ducking a pretty severe swipe to our heads, Dusk spotted saw Kirito jump in, deflecting the strike. Then Asuna ran in, and attacked Illifang, who swiped at her, destroying her cape, leaving Kirito in obvious awe (was this the first time he saw her without her cape?) They continued this combo until Illfang got a pretty good shot on Kirito, throwing him back onto Asuna. They both landed on the floor, stunned, with Illfang towering over them, going in for a killing blow.

"No!" Dusk screamed, and she shot forward, with Faith and Shadow not too far behind. Before any of them could get there, however, Agil jumped in, parrying the strike, and knocking Illfang off balance.

Shadow caught up to Dusk, and together, they tackled Illfang, actually managing to knock him off his feet. Dusk began to repeatedly stab him, and Shadow leaped high into the air, focusing my energy to activate a sword skill. As he hovered in the air, he could see Illfang on his feet again, as Kirito and Dusk tore through it's sides. Their blades were halfway through Illfang when Shadow activated Vorpal Strike rocketing towards Illfang, slamming right into his head.

Illfang compressed inwards, and exploded into a ball of light. Shadow was unable to change the direction he was moving, so he slammed into the floor headfirst. As he lay there, dazed, Shadow could hear the cheers of the other players, then arguing, and he could see a faint white box above him.

"That's right I am a Beater. From now on, don't confuse me with the other testers." Kirito declared.

" _What's going on?"_ Shadow struggled to his feet, and he could see Kibaou pointing directly into his face.

"What about this one? And the small one?" Kibaou shouted.

"They are all beaters!" someone shouted. Shadow looked over and saw Chasi glaring at me distrustfully. "I know that one! He's a beater too! And their friend!"

Shadow looked at Dusk, who was glaring dangerously into the crowd, holding a new sword, a red blade with a white X engraved into the blade, and then at Kirito, who had on a black jacket. He glanced at them. "Sorry guys."

Dusk shook her head. "It's unavoidable. Hell yea we are with him!" She shouted. "Shadow, Kirito, and I, we are all Beaters, and undoubtedly the strongest people in the game!"

In the meantime, Shadow was equipping his new item, the Anneal Coat, which was a gray and blue jacket with studs of metal on the on the shoulders and down the seams on the front. Shadow swung my blade in a circle, and inserted it into the sheath at his side.

"You guys will be lost without us." Shadow declared, and turned to leave, Dusk and Kirito following suit.

The three of them had walked up the stairs, which were the portal to the next floor, when Asuna stopped Kirito, and Ren stopped Dusk. Faith called out for Shadow.

"Hey, Dusk." Ren said, gazing at Dusk.

"Do I know you?" Dusk asked.

"What? Yes! We've seen each other multiple times this last month!"

Dusk shook her head. "Nope. Don't remember. Guess I didn't care, or you didn't catch my eye. Anyways, peace." She walked away.

"God Damn it, Dusk!"

"Shadow!" Faith called.

Shadow sighed, turned, and walked down to her. "What a nice friend you have there." He told her.

She sighed. "Ignore Chasi. You are welcomed among us. All of you are."

Shadow shook his head. "You know that isn't true, Faith." Shadow saw the names on the top of his HUD disappear, meaning someone had dissolved the party. "I have to go, Faith. I will see you around."  
"Shadow!" She called out, and he hesitated. "Shadow, what about our group?"

"Faith… for your reputation, and Asuna's, it is probably for the best they you aren't seen around me."

"Shadow, I don't care about my reputation!"

"I do, Faith. Reputation will get you in a good guild, and it will help you survive. Faith, I will see you again, and soon, but as of right now…" He turned away. "I have to go. Farewell."

"Shadow!" She cried out, but he kept walking. At the top of the stairs, he went to his inventory, and, clicking Faith's name, Shadow sent a weapon to her, attaching it as a gift with a note. Shadow sent her his spare Anneal Blade, which was maxed out. It was much better then the weapon she was using, which was still the default sword at LV 6.

Shadow waited for her to accept the note, and he walked to Kirito and Dusk, who were waiting for me.

"What did Ren want?" Shadow asked Dusk.

She shook her head, her lips pursed. "Nothing useful." She answered shortly.

"You guys ready?" Kirito asked.

They both nodded, and Kirito, Shadow, and Dusk all walked out together.

Faith opened the letter, and saw, alongside the sword, a note saying

"You WILL Survive This World!"


	5. Chapter 4 - Cooper

"And that's a wrap." Shadow said, sheathing his sword.

 **Shadow - Level 41**

It has been another month, and was nearing Christmas. The trees were decorated, people were in a surprisingly festive mood, and there was talk of a hidden boss encounter that dropped a rare high leveled item. Shadow didn't know if that was true, but he wasn't about to waste my time looking for that.

Shadow had enemies in guilds like the Holy Dragon Alliance anyways, and they spend a lot of time looking for those items. He really didn't need to clash with them again.

Anyways, Shadow has been spending his time hunting down a deadly player killer guild, Titan's Hand. They were pretty active a few weeks ago, and even managed to almost kill three players of the guild he was using as bait. Shadow caught two players, and managed to bring the players from the brink of death by using his health crystals.

That is not an idea he will repeat ever again.

To say the least, the guild Shadow used as bait, the Golden Apples, was not too pleased with his shenanigans, and had quite a few severe words to say to him.

So Shadow tried tracking them, but they managed to slip away by leading him into Laughing fucking Coffin. Which lead him into a conversation with a dude named XaXa.

And that's where Shadow is now.

XaXa stood up. "You beat me in a duel." He said. "What are you going to do now, bring me in?"

Shadow shook my head. "I should, but I have one prison crystal, and it already has it's target. And I don't feel like dragging your sorry ass across this damned floor to bring you to the town prison. Butttt…" Shadow paused, then continued. "I know you three. But who is that one?" he pointed to a large figure on the side.

"Hood and mask off." XaXa barked.

The figure hesitated, then removed his hood and mask. And underneath, Shadow saw a face he was not expecting to see.

"Ren!?" Shadow asked in disbelief.

He nodded. "Yes, it is me."

"Why?"

"I fit in."

Shadow shook my head. "You were so desperate for company that you joined a murder guild? Wow."

"I like to kill." He said. "It's as simple as that."

Shadow didn't even respond. He just turned and walked away.

Shadow walked to the nearest town and seated himself in the nearest restaurant booth.

" _Time has flown by."_ Shadow thought. " _I wonder what is happening in the real world… to Shiro."_

"Hey, Shadow."

Faith slipped into the seat across from him. "Hey, Shadow." She said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Hey." Shadow greeted her.

Faith did the right thing. Eventually, she joined up with a group called The Knights of the Blood Oath, a guild that rivals the Holy Dragon Alliance for the number one guild spot in the game. She is currently one of the guild's top players, sitting right underneath the guild leader, Heathcliff, and surprisingly, Asuna.

Asuna hates Kirito.

Ren despises Dusk (although Shadow doesn't think she ever liked him in the first place.)

But Faith and Shadow get along just fine.

Even though he is a solo player, and absolutely refuses to fight in a guild or a party, Shadow has worked alongside Faith and the KOB pretty often, and Heathcliff keeps trying to convince him to join his guild.

"What's wrong Shadow?" She asked him.

Shadow shook my head. "Nothing really. Just complating on our fucked up lives."

"Ah, yes, the lives in which we are forced to talk to other about our problems." She quipped. She laughed for a little, and, seeing his lack of reaction, just watched me uncomfortably. "Shadow?... Talk to me."

 _Shiro._ "It's nothing, Faith." _I miss you little sister._ "I'm just mentally tired is all." _If that old man has touched you, i'll-_ "I just need to sleep." Shadow stood up. "I should get some rest."

"Wait." Faith stood. "Do you have a room at the inn yet? I know you refuse to buy a house, and always sleep in inns."

Shadow shook my head. "I have not yet bought a room yet."  
"You can stay by me." she told me. "My house is two floors down."

Shadow hesitated, and said. "Fine." he waggled a finger at her and gave her a small smile. "No funny business, you."

She shot me a glare. "As if!"

Dusk was taking a break. It's been a good couple of months since she had seen either Kirito or Harley, and she was worried about them, so she was staying in this town for a bit, hoping that they would come into town sooner or later

As she sat on a bench in the middle of town, she began to examine her skills. Skills like One hand and Martials Arts she had raised pretty high, with her unlocking a couple new sword skills along the way. She also had raised her tailoring skill to a pretty high level, but not high enough to craft equipment that was strong enough for her. So Dusk decided that she will go and find a tailor master, and work on her tailoring skill. She stood up, and began to walk around, looking for the town's tailor.

It took her a while to find the place, but she eventually arrived at a small shop with a "Tailor" Sign hanging of of it. She entered, and was surprised at how cozy the place looked

"Hello how can I help you." a man said

"I would like help increasing my tailoring skill please?" Dusk asked as she stopped in front of the counter.

"Then you have came to the right place Miss. What's your name?" the man asked

"It's Dusk." She replied. "What's your name?"

"Hunter. Are you ready to begin, Dusk?" he said

"Yea I'm all ready to go, Hunter." Dusk responded.

Although it seemed fun but it took her a very long time to be able to increase her skill, about a week, in fact. But in the end it was worth it. On the last day, Dusk had promised Hunter dinner for helping her out.

"So where do you want to go out for dinner Hunter? Since I promised you." Dusk said. "Pick anywhere. Money isn't an issue for me."

"I know the place. Follow me Dusk." Hunter said walking out of the store.

Following him through the town Dusk saw a lot more people at night then at day time. The lamps made it more lively. All of a sudden, she saw snow beginning to fall.

"Here we are Dusk." Hunter said cheerfully.

Dusk gazed around at the restaurant that they stopped in front of. It took her a couple of seconds to realize what restaurant they were at. It was one of the best restaurants in the whole game. She never had a chance to eat here because she was so busy focusing about beating the game.

"Shall we go in?" Hunter asked as he opened the door for her.

"Thank you." Dusk said with a smile on her face.

The place was packed, and, from looking around, Dusk realized that it was a bad idea for her to come here. She saw a group of people - people who she had humiliated in real life, just a couple days before they were trapped. The problem was, these were the popular kids. The kids who almost definitely will try to kill her. She quickly looked away as they glanced in her direction.

"How can I help you too?" a waiter asked

"A table for two please." Dusk heard Hunter say.

"Okay follow me you two." The waiter said

The waiter lead us in the opposite direction of those people, much to Dusk's relief. "Here's your table." the waiter said.

"Thank you." Dusk and Hunter said at the same time.

They both sat down. "Dusk, I hate to be intrude, but why were those people looking at you like that?" Hunter asked.

"Well those are the people who bullied me at school, people who I humiliated a couple days before all of this started."

"Ah…" Hunter sat quiet. "Well, just let me know if you need help."

For the next minute or so while looking at the menu the waiter had came to the table. They ordered the foods and drinks that they wanted. It took a while for their food to come, but when it did, they immediately dug in. However, while they were eating, the group came to Dusk's table. Dusk looked up at the coolly, not allowing the panic she was feeling on the inside to show.

"Look who it is! It's little Winter!." one of them said.

Dusk got up and walked away, sending Col to the restaurant to pay for the food. She made it to the middle of town, when one of them grabbed her arm and pulled so she couldn't keep walking. Then one of them took out there sword and put it near her neck.

"Let go of Dusk!" Hunter yelled out.

"Shut up!" another said, punching Hunter in the stomach, sending him flying into the ever-growing crowd.

"What do you want from me?" Dusk asked, still keeping up her cool exterior.

"We want payback what you did to us, little Winter." the guys holding the sword to my throat, Cooper, said.

"How do you know that I'm a beater Cooper?" Dusk asked.

"We were there at the first boss battle." Alice, the one who punched Hunter, replied.

"And you're still alive? Amazing." Dusk responded, feigning shock.

"Shut it, Winters! Before I kill you with this sword." Cooper yelled angrily.

"You can't kill someone in a safe zone, fool." Dusk laughed, her confidence growing. "Just tell me what the hell what you want."

Cooper grinned. "Two duels." He released her, sheathing his sword.

"Why two duels?" Dusk asked. "Feel like having your ass handed to you twice?"

"The first duel condition would be who ever hits the person first with half hp. The second condition will be a fight to the death. Tomorrow at noon. Okay?" Cooper said.

"Whatever, Cooper." Dusk said, her panic creeping up again.

"Let's see how much shit you talk when you're dead!" He laughed, and Cooper and the group walked away.

The crowd began to disperse, and Dusk could see Hunter standing, waiting for her.

"You ok Hunter?" Dusk asked.

"Yea I'm ok Dusk. But they are fucking crazy. A duel to the death." Hunter said angrily.

"You can say that I am fucking crazy Hunter. But you'll find something amazing in the second duel" Dusk said, turning and walking away from Hunter.

"Well good night Dusk. See you tomorrow." Hunter yelled from a distance.

"Good night Hunter. See you tomorrow." Dusk yelled back.

"Wait, isn't that Dusk!?" Faith cried out.

"Yes." Shadow said calmly.

It was just their luck. When they teleported into town, there was a large crowd gathered, and Dusk was one of the people in the center.

"She is going to fight a duel to the death?!"

"That's what it sounds like." Shadow said, just as calm as before.

"Isn't she like, one of your only friends!?"

"Yup." He was still calm. That seemed to bug her.

"Why are you not even the slightest bit concerned then!?"

"Because Dusk can handle herself. And, from the sound of it, she has beaten this guy before." Shadow grinned at Faith. "I have the fullest confidence that she will win. However…" he frowned. "We can't allow her to kill him. You and I will have to jump in and stop her before she kills him, so we will have to sit on opposite ends of the arena. Agreed?"

Faith nodded. "Alright, Shadow, lets get some rest."

The next morning, they

They headed to the arena and went over to the opposite ends. The Cooper kid and Dusk both stepped out, and prepared for their. Right when they were about to fight, he looked up, and saw someone familiar sit next to him.

"Kirito? Shadow asked incredulously. "You look worn out."

"I need a favor from you and Dusk." He said quietly. "You two are the only one strong enough, the only one I trust not to… Die."

"What is it?"

"The rumor that has been going around about the Christmas boss? It's true, and I need your guys help to kill it."

Shadow nodded slowly. "We can talk to Dusk afterwards. Let's see how this goes."

"When did Kirito and Harley get here. Since Hunter is sitting with them I guess they met today. Or that he is just sat next to them since he has nowhere to sit.I wonder how they where from these couple of months before being here." Dusk thought to herself

As a few minutes had passed by as Cooper had appeared into the coliseum. Dusk took a good, hard look at his sword. He held an Artisan's Gem sword, not a bad one, in fact it was only a bit weaker than her Demon Blaze Sword, the one she had gotten from the first boss. Dusk had yet to find one better than it.

When Cooper reached his spot, he stood there and didn't say anything as the people of the coliseum gradually quieted down.

Then a message appeared in front of them..

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCEPT THE DUEL AGAINST COOPER. DUELS ONE OUT OF TWO.

YES OR NO

Dusk pressed the blue button to accept the duel.

 _ **A/N So what do you think so far :D**_


	6. Chapter 5 - She's Angry

Cooper isn't a bad swordsman, Dusk was just as superior fighter. As she kept blocking his attacks with relative ease, he was getting angrier, and his swings were getting wilder.

Suddenly, Cooper charged forwards with an angry look on his face. But, with a smile on her face, Dusk blocked his attack and spun around him. She activated her weakest sword skill, Rage Spike, and rocketed into his chest, sending Cooper flying, smashing into the Coliseum wall.

The crowd went wild, with people commenting excitedly as the prepared for the duel that they wanted - the fight to the death. As the announcer was shouting about her speed and reflexes in sheer amazement, Dusk activated another on of her skills, and equipped a new piece of equipment.

Dusk watched as Cooper prepared his equipment for the duel to the death. " _I want him dead."_ She realized. " _I want to kill him for tormenting me for all these years in school. He's earned it."_

"Are the two of you ready?" The announcer asked.

"Yes." both Dusk and Cooper called at the same time.

"Players get ready." he said before the timer appeared.

Dusk and Cooper readied their swords. As the barrier that made this area a safe zone fell around the center of the arena, Dusk made sure she hid the extra item behind her cloak.

The moment the timer reached zero, Cooper and Dusk ran towards each other as our swords clashed against each other. The force of the blades slamming into each other was so fast and strong that generated a large outwards blast of wind, pushing those in the front seats of the coliseum down on their asses. Cooper leaped back, and activated Vorpal Strike shooting forwards like a missile. Dusk, however, simply waited until he was seconds away from her, and jumped to the side, watching in amusement as he crashed into the ground. Cooper stood, and ran forwards. He swung at my midsection, only to be easily blocked.

Now scowling, he activated another skill, Sharp Nail. This one Dusk could block with one sword, but she also saw it as a perfect opportunity. She pulled out her second sword, her own Artisan's Gem, and activated the Duel Wielding skill, Final Revolution, spinning in a circle, deflecting Cooper's attack, disarming him, and landing multiple slashes across his chest and belly.

Cooper's sword landed on its side, about three yards away. Cooper himself fell onto his knees, and gazed up at Dusk.

"That's cheating Dusk." Cooper shouted, breathing heavily.

"No, it's not." Dusk replied, smiling. "Its a duel, which means I can use any skills at my disposal. That includes my Duel Wielding skill."

Cooper shook his head. "You really are a cheater, Dusk. You are weak in the outside world. And you are only strong here because of tricks, relying on the strength of a game." He chuckled.

Dusk shook her head. "I am stronger than you, Cooper." She raised her swords in the air, and activated the skill Double Circular.

However, as she swung her swords, a black and grey object rocketed towards her. Believing it to be one of Cooper's friends, she attacked it. There was loud explosion as a silvery object slammed into the ground, causing a huge cloud of dust to erupt into the air. She was surprised to see a familiar sword; a black one with jagged white markings - in a blade lock against her blades. Dusk attacked with all her might, only every attack she dealt to be blocked, regardless to the fact that she was using two swords. She was even more surprised when the dust began to settle, and she saw the person there.

Shadow.

Dusk saw the anger in his face as he gazed upon the fight, and she could see another sword, one with a star shaped light blue hilt and dark blue blade, impaled in the ground behind him. It must have been thrown.

Shadow shoved back with his blade, forcing Dusk to take a step back. "No more." He told her. "No more!" He shouted.

The crowd glanced at each other, clearly confused. You see, unlike Kirito and Dusk, who were just generally disliked because they were Beaters, Shadow actively tried to be part of the community. He helped just about everyone, was close allies with the sub leaders of The Knights of Blood Oath, and had saved the lives of about half of the people gathered there.

Nonetheless, he was speaking and the crowd was dead silent.

"What is this?!" He shouted. "We are surrounded by death everyday, constantly afraid that we will be next to die, that it will be us next that our friends are grieving for! Enough of us are dying… We don't need to add duels to the death to the mix!" Shadow sheathed his blade, his blue-gray coat shifted against the new weight of the sword.

"Shadow?" Cooper asked, struggling to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I overheard the arguing in the square yesterday, Cooper. I came to make sure nothing bad happened."

Faith leaped into the arena and walked over to her sword.

Dusk narrowed her eyes. "How do you know Cooper, Shadow?"

"His squad is part of the Holy Dragon Alliance Dusk."

Faith walked over and stood beside Shadow.

Cooper bent his head. "I do not understand why you associate yourself with these scum Shadow. As Beaters, the Black Swordsman and the Red Devil deserve everything that happens to them. And yet, you continually come to save their asses, over and over again."

"Cooper, don't think I don't know that you started this." Shadow told him. "I just rather not have someone die. Do not pick a fight with her again, for it was by sheer luck that I was in town this time. You may not be so lucky next time."

Cooper looked at the ground, clearly irritated. "Yes, sir." He said stiffly. He turned and walked away.

As everyone began to leave the arena, Dusk eyed Shadow, her red eyes flickering in the light.

"Why would you stop me!" Dusk shouted angrily. "He deserves it!"

"Dusk, no one deserves to die." Faith responded.

"Shut up!" She shouted. "I'm talking to him! Shadow! You are my friend, _my_ ally. Why are you protecting trash like that?"

"I'm preventing you from making a horrible mistake." Shadow retorted. He turned around. "Come on. Let's go."

Dusk growled, sheathing her swords and walking out of the arena.

Kirito was waiting outside.

"Okay… I need your help." He said. "I need you two to help me fight the secret boss."

"What happened to you, Kirito?" Shadow asked.

He explained what happened with the Moonlit Black Cats, and right when he finished talking…

"This is why you never join a fucking guild." Dusk said.

"Dusk, Shut, the fuck, up." Faith responded angrily.

"Fight me."

"No." Shadow intervened. "Kirito, We would be more than happy to help you."

"Good… It's tonight…"

"Alright, let's go kill a boss!"

* * *

That night, the three of them - Shadow, Kirito, and Dusk - all appeared in the area the boss was supposed to reside. And out of nowhere, Klein appeared and began talking with Kirito.

"What's gotten to you?" Shadow asked Dusk. "You are aggressive as all hell."

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "It's just… I have been powerless my entire life, being tormented by people like Cooper. So to be so close to vengeance, only for it to be taken away… It's aggravating."

"The way you were talking to Faith was unacceptable too, Dusk. She was there to help me."

"She needs to keep her nose out of business that isn't hers." Dusk growled.

"And I don't? I did just throw myself in the middle of your combat."

"Yea, but you were trying to help me."

"So was Faith."

"Yea, but you are my fucking friend, Shadow. She isn't." Dusk spat out.

"Guys, we have a problem!" Klein cried out. "Holy Dragon Alliance!"

"Heheh…" The leader of the group laughed, as other alliance members began walking out of the shadows behind him. There was about twenty of them in total. "Step out of the way…" He recoiled. "Shadow?!"

"Fuck…" Shadow muttered. Klein's alliance all moved to stand around Kirito, and Shadow and Dusk moved to stand beside them.

"Uh… Hi there?" Shadow waved. "Good to see that you recovered."  
"You beat my squad half to death!" He yelled.

"Hey, you were trying to steal a rare item from a lower level player." Shadow retorted. "How about next time, you don't try robbing other players?"

"How dare you!" He shouted.

"Shadow, Kirito. Go get the item." Dusk urged. "We will handle this."

"You sure?" Kirito asked.

"Yea, why not?" Klein responded, drawing his sword. "Go."

Shadow and Kirito glanced at each other and shrugged. "Good luck guys." Shadow told the others as they backed away

Walking into a portal, they vanished.

"Luck." Dusk chortled. "Who needs luck when you have power!" She unsheathed both of her blades and sprinted forwards, going on the offensive. She activated the skill Double Circular and began to go nuts.

* * *

"Switch!" Shadow shouted, jumping back. Kirito shot forward, activating Sonic Leap and split the Evil Santa in half, slaying it.

"No…" Kirito whimpered, looking at the item he had just won. "Sachi… I'm sorry…"

"What happened?" Shadow asked, running over.

"Ten seconds after death…" Kirito said. He covered his face in his hands. "Shadow… leave me be."

Shadow gazed at his friend, worried, but he did as he asked. Summoning a teleport crystal, he murmured his destination, and vanished.

Not long after, Dusk walked in through the portal, and saw Kirito on the floor, crying, with no sign of Shadow.

"Sachi… I'm so sorry…" She heard him whisper.

Dusk strode over to Kirito. "Kirito, where is Shadow?"

He didn't answer.

Dusk seized him by the shoulders, and pulled him up to her face. "Kirito. Where. Is. Shadow!?"

Kirito scowled, and shoved her off of him. "He's alive, asshole. I would be having a stronger reaction if I had gotten my best friend killed, too."

"Well, I saw you sniveling in the snow, and since he obviously isn't here, I got worried." She retorted.

"What is wrong with you, Dusk?" Kirito asked, standing up. "You haven't once today considered anyone other that yourself or Shadow! I'm your friend too, so why don't I deserve the level of care!?"

Dusk didn't bother answering. "Next time, don't ask for my help!" She called out, and used a teleport crystal to vanish.

"Asshole…" Kirito muttered, and watched as she vanished.


End file.
